The legendary old standard for the .357 magnum was the Federal Premium 125 grain load. This is a fairly hot, fast, load that's rated well in all the tests in the 1980s. There's nothing fancy about it, it simply works.

I'd advise against extensive use of this load in a SW K-frame revolver. There have been documented issues with flame-cutting in the forcing cone when using this load. Having said that, this is the load I carried in my SW66 when I was patrolling a rural area. I didn't use much of this load for practice shooting, maybe a box a year to rotate stocks and keep my ammo fresh. For practice shooting I used a standard 158 grain load. After 20 years, my Model 66 doesn't show flame-cutting, but I limited the use of this particular ammo.

Still, it's the gold standard for .357 self-defense loads. Good luck finding it in stock.

The Remington Express 125 grain SJHP is an old equal to that hot Federal load. It's what I carry in my 4" GP100.

It averages 1451 fps on a 90 degree F day out out of my GP100 for 587 ft/lbs ME.

Hard kicking, and a lot of flash out of the 4" GP100.

You can sometimes find the less expensive UMC 125 grain SJHP at WalMart. Same bullet, but it has a dirtier burning powder than the Remington load, and is in a brass case instead of a nickled, but is loaded as hot.

I used to buy that Federal Classic load at WalMart years ago in boxes of 50 for around $20, but that dried up years ago also.

Now, hottest might not equal best, but I like the Remington Express 125 grain SJHP. I'd use the Federal equivalent if I could find it.

Really, so long as you stay in the 125-158gr range, you've likely got a pretty effective load. The only three common loadings in that weight range that I'd caution against are Federal 158gr Hydra Shok, Speer 158gr Gold Dot, and CCI Blazer 158gr JHP as all three show lackluster expansion in the tests I've seen.

If its HD, then over-penetration is a serious issue. In that case you would want one of the 38 special HD rounds (maybe even the pink stuff).

357 was intended for highway patrol (or rural) where you could be shooting at care, windshield and various barriers. Its vast overkill for HD in its full tilt loads.

Any of the 38 special HD loads are good for in the house use.

You don't need that high velocity to get reliable expansion out of those rounds these days and you don't want to be going through walls and into neighbors house.

A good hollowpoint in a .357 Magnum is not overly penetrative and, in some cases, the .38 Special penetrates more due to less aggressive expansion. For example, the 125gr SJHP .357 Magnum loadings from makers like Winchester, Remington, and Federal typically penetrate 11-13" in 10% ballistic gelatin while the 158gr LSWCHP .38 Special +P loadings from the same makers can regularly penetrate 15" or more.

As far as penetration of interior walls, just about any centerfire handgun will penetrate several layers of sheetrock quite easily. The best way to mitigate this risk is to develop a home defense plan that positions you to take your shots from angles that represent the lowest risk to bystanders.

Just about any 357mag load is going to be good for self defense. But what I keep mine stoked with is the "FBI load" ; 38spl +P lead semiwadcutter hollow point. It has a long history of being a very effective round w/o all the flash and blast of a full house 357 cartridge.

I personally prefer the Speer gold dots in 125 for my 357. They penetrate about 15" or so through 4 layers of denim and then gelatin. The nifty bit is that they also open up to 3/4 of an inch. Hard to beat that even with some 45 loads.

__________________I do not love the bright sword for it's sharpness, nor the arrow for it's swiftness, nor the warrior for his glory. I love only that which they defend.

I'd add that for a regular defense round just in the home, you may also want to consider a high quality frangible like Corbons popular Glaser Safety Slug(silver) or the powerful Magsafe .357 load. Some pre fragmented or "exotic" rounds like Extreme Shock USA or RCBD(Le Mas) are not like they claim but there are merits to using a frangible in home defense for Magnum revolvers.

Keep in mind the blast, recoil, muzzle flash, etc. The .357magnum is not for the timid, .

The .357 magnum, as loaded with the top 125gr JHPs was mainly used in S&W 27/28, Colt Python, Trooper, and Lawman .357s.

ALL were about 40 oz in weight. And that made them quite controllable.

But the very light weight .357s are not so controllable, especially one handed, with real .357s.

So if you want a 4 inch .357 to use top magnum loads alot I do suggest a Ruger GP-100, S&W L/N Frame revolvers. Yes the light weight guns won't fall apart but they are very hard to shoot for extended practice sessions.

Deaf

__________________
"The government has confiscated all of our rights and is selling them back to us in the form of permits."

I agree with Deaf/#20 post.
The proven, respected factory 125gr JHP .357magnum is great but be aware that if you practice with a snub revolver it won't be fun.
In the early 1990s, I owned a NIB Ruger .357magnum DA only SP101 snub.
125gr JHP rounds stung like if you stuck your fist in a hornet's nest after a couple of cylinders.

A GP100, L frame or N frame Smith & Wesson, Colt Python, etc can help with recoil but it will still have blast, flash, etc.

To be fair, in a real lethal force event, emotions, adrenenline and endorphins will be so pumped, you may not really feel .357magnum level recoil.

Remington's 125 grain Golden Saber load is fairly mild, more like a hot 9mm than the fire-breathing 125s that both it and its competitors load.

The Speer 135 grain Gold Dot is interesting, decent for longer barrels even though it's billed as a short barrel load. Fairly mild to shoot, although it was pretty much unobtanium even before the ammo shortage.

The 180 grain .357 loads get a lot of play from the penetration crowd, but it doesn't thrill me in a handgun. I wouldn't count on a 125 grain .357 in a carbine and I wouldn't like a 180 grain .357 in a handgun.

Lots of good .357 loads, the limitation is how well you shoot them (and how much you can afford to shoot to be proficient).

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